The Quattro Cavalli Statue Fountain: The Iconic Centerpiece of MetroWest
How four bronze horses from Venice ended up galloping through Orlando's most walkable Italian-inspired plaza
The Quattro Cavalli statue fountain is a bronze public-art installation located in Veranda Park, an Italian-inspired mixed-use plaza within the MetroWest community of Orlando, FL, near Hiawassee Road and Westpointe Boulevard in ZIP code 32835. The sculpture is a replica of the Horses of Saint Mark from St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, and was cast by the Valese Artistic Foundry, the foundry authorized by the Italian government to cast the ancient horses. MetroWest is a master-planned community of more than 12,000 homes located approximately 9 to 10 miles from downtown Orlando and 2 to 3 miles from Universal Orlando Resort. Veranda Park, the plaza that hosts the fountain, was completed in 2004 as a Tuscan-inspired town center with offices, condos, retail, and restaurants.
So you've been driving around MetroWest and somewhere near Hiawassee Road you pass an Italian-style plaza with four bronze horses rearing up out of a fountain. Wait — what? In Orlando?
Meet the Quattro Cavalli ("four horses" in Italian) — the centerpiece of Veranda Park and one of the most unexpectedly elegant pieces of public art in Central Florida. It's the kind of thing you don't expect sandwiched between a Publix run and a Universal commute, which is exactly why locals love it.
What Exactly Is the Quattro Cavalli?
The Quattro Cavalli is a bronze sculpture group of four horses set into a circular fountain at the heart of Veranda Park, the Italian-inspired outdoor plaza tucked inside MetroWest near the corner of Hiawassee Road and Westpointe Boulevard. The sculpture is a replica of the Horses of Saint Mark — the four ancient gilded bronze horses that have stood at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice since the 13th century (the originals are now displayed inside the basilica for preservation).
Here's the part that makes history nerds happy: the Veranda Park horses were cast by the Valese Artistic Foundry in Italy — the foundry historically authorized by the Italian government to produce bronze replicas of the original Venetian horses. That's not a "we ordered something off a catalog" situation.
A Quick History Lesson (We Promise, It's Wild)
The horses the Veranda Park fountain copies have one of the most travel-heavy résumés in art history. The originals are believed to have been displayed in ancient Rome, then resurfaced around 320 A.D. on the Hippodrome gates in Constantinople, where they stayed until Venetian crusaders looted them in 1204. They sat above the doors of St. Mark's Basilica for roughly 500 years until Napoleon hauled them off to Paris in 1797. After Napoleon's fall, they were returned to Venice, where they remain today — now safely indoors.
So when you're watching the water spray off four bronze horses in MetroWest, you're looking at a piece of art with a 1,700-year backstory that has survived emperors, crusades, and the French Revolution.
One Important Honesty Note
You'll sometimes see the Veranda Park Quattro Cavalli described as the "only replica of the ancient horses in the United States." That claim was once widely repeated, but it's no longer accurate — Kentucky State University unveiled its own Quattro Cavalli replica in 2020. The more defensible (and still pretty special) framing is that the MetroWest piece is among the very few authorized bronze replicas in the United States, cast by the only foundry historically certified by the Italian government to make them.
Where Is It, Exactly?
The fountain sits inside Veranda Park, the Italian-inspired plaza centered at 2121 S. Hiawassee Road, Orlando, FL 32835. Veranda Park was completed in 2004 as a mixed-use Tuscan-style development — 60,000 square feet of Class A office space, 20,000 square feet of retail, residential condos at The Residences at Veranda Park, and restaurants and shops arranged around walkable streets and small piazzas. The Quattro Cavalli anchors one of those piazzas.
Drive times:
- Downtown Orlando — about 15 minutes via the 408 Expressway
- Dr. Phillips — about 10 minutes south on Apopka-Vineland Road
- Windermere — about 15 minutes southwest
- Universal Orlando Resort — about 5–10 minutes east on Kirkman Road
Why It Matters to MetroWest's Identity
MetroWest is a 1,805-acre master-planned community with more than 12,000 homes, a Robert Trent Jones Sr.–designed golf course, and a Tuscan town center. The Quattro Cavalli isn't the literal geographic center of all that — but it has become the single most recognizable visual symbol of the community, showing up in neighborhood guides, listing photos, and residents' Instagram feeds.
Why? Because it commits to an aesthetic. Most master-planned developments stop at terra cotta roof tiles. Bringing in a bronze replica from an Italian foundry to anchor the town center signals the developers actually meant it.
What's Around the Fountain
The fountain sits in Veranda Park's walkable plaza, which makes it easy to combine a visit with dinner, coffee, or shopping. Tenants in and around the plaza have included Cafe Murano (Italian), PCG Artisanal Burgers, Holy Grain Coffee Shop, and Izziban Sushi and BBQ, alongside professional offices and salons. Veranda Park also hosts the recurring MetroWest Food Truck Connection, an evening event that turns the plaza into an outdoor dining scene.
Plaza tenant lineups turn over regularly, so confirm any specific restaurant before you make a special trip. For the broader retail scene, see our guide to MetroWest shopping.
Best Time to Visit
Honestly? Evening. Veranda Park is designed around its Italian-plaza ambiance, and that ambiance turns up after sunset — string lights, patio diners, fountain illuminated. If you're scouting MetroWest as a relocation prospect, swing by after dinner. It's the most flattering version of the community.
For families, the plaza is stroller-friendly and the fountain is a low-effort photo stop. Kids like the horses. Adults like that there's coffee and wine within 50 feet of them.
What This Tells You About Living in MetroWest
If you're considering MetroWest as a place to live, the Quattro Cavalli is a useful tell.
The Pros
- MetroWest invested in design quality early, and a lot of that infrastructure is still here
- You get a walkable Italian-style plaza inside a master-planned community — rare in Orlando, where most "town centers" are big-box parking lots
- Veranda Park gives MetroWest a real anchor for coffee, dinner, and small events without leaving the community
- Easy access to Universal, downtown, the 408, the Turnpike, and I-4
The Honest Cons
- MetroWest's housing stock is older than newer Southwest Orlando communities like Horizon West — most homes were built between 1995 and 2002, and the master-planned look has aged unevenly
- The plaza is a small slice of MetroWest, not the whole community; most of MetroWest is condos, townhomes, and single-family homes that don't feel particularly Italian
- Some Veranda Park retail spaces have turned over multiple times, so the tenant mix can feel inconsistent
For broader cultural exploration of Central Florida, our Orlando arts and culture guide covers public art, museums, and performance venues across the metro.
What the Locals Know
Three things long-time MetroWest residents will tell you about the Quattro Cavalli:
One: It's the unofficial meeting spot. "Meet me at the horse fountain" works as a direction for almost any Veranda Park event.
Two: It photographs better than it looks in person. In real life it's tasteful and well-scaled. In photos it punches above its weight and ends up on every "Orlando hidden gems" listicle.
Three: It's a useful litmus test. If the fountain charms you, you'll probably like MetroWest. If you'd rather have a Target nearby, the master-planned aesthetic isn't your priority and other Southwest Orlando neighborhoods will fit you better.
For more context on the community, see our guides to where MetroWest is located and the MetroWest grocery and pharmacy options.
For more on the sculpture, including art-historical context and photos, see the public-art listing at Quattro Cavalli of Veranda Park in the Arts in Orlando directory maintained by United Arts of Central Florida.
Curious about MetroWest as a place to actually live? Browse our MetroWest homes for sale or contact us for personalized relocation advice from people who know the neighborhood. 🐴
